Title: Run Don’t Think (The Agency Book 1)
Author: C.C. Bolick
Genre: YA Paranormal Thriller
Book Blurb:
One hundred thousand dollars. A government agency on their trail. Two teens are about to learn their world will never be safe again. In this thrill ride, Angel and Skip go on the run after learning her dad works for a government agency. One of his deadliest enemies is out for blood and Angel could be his next victim. The teens must fight to stay alive as their road trip finds them running from cops and dodging undercover agents. No one is safe from the man with glowing eyes that only Angel can see. Angel has no idea her dad's agency monitors people with special powers or that she's been on their list for years…
Excerpt:
Detective Swanson shook her head. “There’s no reason for us to stop your trip. Just think of this as a small detour. You come with us, do your civic duty, and you’re back on the road. All we need is a statement.”
I sighed. “Can I take a shower first?”
“Good idea,” Skip said. “That way when we’re done answering questions, we can hit the road.”
She smiled as if relieved. “We’ll be downstairs waiting. Be ready in twenty minutes.”
As soon as they were out of the door, Skip pulled the curtains apart. The parking lot was crawling with people in suits and black uniforms. The driver’s side of the gold car hung open and an officer snapped pictures as he circled the car. “This is bad.”
I struggled to catch my breath. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
“Yeah right,” he said. “The cops are everywhere.”
“Then what? We go downtown like they said?”
Skip spun around. “Change your clothes. Put on the coat and the sunglasses you bought.”
“But it’s probably hot outside.”
“Stuff as much of the money as you can in your clothes. We’re going to run.”
“How? They’re waiting downstairs.”
“We’ll take another way out.” He walked to the door and traced his fingers over an emergency map of the hallway. “We’ll take the stairs. Then we run as fast as we can and don’t look back. Remember what your dad said—run don’t think.”
“But if they catch us—”
“We’ll end up in the backseat of a police car. Big deal since that’s where they’re already planning to put us.”
“What if they shoot us?”
“They won’t,” he said. “I witnessed a crime but they know I’m not a murderer. I’m worth more alive.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I don’t like your reason. This is dangerous.”
He pulled me close. “But admit it—in some crazy way you’re having fun. This is a wild trip and we’ll have all kinds of stories to tell.”
I let him kiss me. “If you call me almost having a heart attack fun.”
“I’ve got a plan. Hurry and change. They gave us twenty minutes. I’m giving us five.”
Okay, I could do this. Rushing around the bed, I pulled off the red outfit and nearly tripped as I changed into a pair of jeans and black shirt. I put on the sunglasses and the long suede coat.
“I was right, you are cute with no clothes.”
How could he be joking right now? My heart was beating so fast I thought I’d pass out. Like the beat of my heart, I’d changed so fast I never realized I’d taken off my clothes in the same room as him.
“Don’t worry, I was too busy to look.”
I lifted one of the small square pillows and threw it at his head. He ducked, laughing as he shoved some of the money in his pockets. “We can’t take it all,” he said, “but I think we’ve got enough. Ready?”
With a look at the door, I tried to calm my heart. I might really have a heart attack and die before we made it outside.
“The cops are everywhere, but they won’t expect us to run. Once we do this, we don’t stop.”
I took another breath and nodded. Skip opened the door and pulled me behind him. I didn’t take another look back at the clothes on the bed or the money we were leaving behind. He sprinted to a door at the end of the hall. Skip shoved it open and I looked down the stairs, remembering we were four flights up. I swear I held my breath all the way to the bottom step. Nearly jumping over that last stair, Skip flew forward and hit the door to the outside. That’s when I realized we were on the side of the building, away from all of the cops. Next to us rose another four-story hotel.
Skip grabbed my hand, propelling me toward the building. We reached the side of that hotel and ran around to the front. Beyond the hotel was the movie theater. My lungs felt like they would explode. The movie theater parking lot was empty, but we crept along one side until we reached the back. I bent over and put my hands on my knees. Next to me was a pile of stale popcorn.
“We can’t stop,” Skip said.
“What… about… the car?” I asked between breaths.
He coughed. “We’ll find another one. There.”
“What?” I spun around, looking for what he’d found.
Skip pointed toward the corner where a bus was coming to a stop. “That should get us across town.”
“We need to get out of town,” I yelled.
He pulled me along. “One thing at a time.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Why is your featured book a must-read?
“Beginning a new series spun off from her Leftover Girl books, Bolick blends paranormal and sci-fi elements within a quick-moving thriller framework.” ~ Kirkus Reviews
Giveaway –
Open Internationally.
Runs April 16 – 19, 2020.
Winner will be drawn on April 27, 2020.
Author Biography:
C.C. Bolick grew up in south Alabama, where she’s happy to still reside. She’s an engineer by day and a writer by night—too bad she could never do one without the other.
Camping, fishing… she loves the outdoors and the warm Alabama weather. For years she thought up stories to write and finally started putting them on paperback in 2006. If you hear her talking with no one to answer, don’t think she’s crazy. Since talking through her stories works best, a library is her worst place to write… even though it’s her favorite!
C.C. loves to mix sci-fi and paranormal—throw in a little romance and adventure and you’ve got her kind of story. She’s written a dozen books including the Leftover Girl series, The Agency series, and The Fear Chronicles.
Social Media Links:
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